When we were still taking our childbirth class, my husband, Vier, and I got introduced to something called a baby sling. I had my doubts but Vier instantly fell in love with it. We also got introduced to a concept called attachment parenting, a term coined by one of its main proponents, Dr. William Sears and his wife, Martha Sears. We both thoroughly support the movement and we've become advocates of breastfeeding as well, the natural result of attachment parenting.
Why a Sling?
My dad was puzzled over our decision to buy a baby sling. While the version we got was a little pricier than others in the market (it was made from a breathable Guatemalan fabric and supported by two heavy duty stainless steel rings), he couldn't fathom how this sling could possibly take the place of a baby stroller.
At the time, I told my husband that we could always try out the sling first and if we felt that we needed to augment with a baby stroller, we could always add a baby stroller to our endless list of things to buy for our new baby.
Surprise, surprise. Even after six months, we still didn't see the need for a baby stroller. We were still happily using our baby sling. It turns out that we never needed the stroller after all. While I never got to use it fully because of my right-left confusion, Vier was a pro. We would take the sling wherever we went and Vier would proudly wear our son, Badger, in the sling.
The Benefits of a Baby Sling
Below is an enumeration of some of the benefits that I observed from using a baby sling:
- No need to bring around a bulky baby carrier or stroller
- Great for travel! Airplane and train travel were perfect with just a sling.
- Lots of bonding time between Daddy and baby
- A handy breastfeeding cover for Mommy in case she forgot her breastfeeding shawl
- A calmer, more relaxed baby (our son, Badger, absolutely loved being carried around. He would fall asleep easily even when we were moving around in a mall).
- Baby has a good view of what's going on. Great for a curious baby (unlike in a stroller where he gets confined to people's legs and feet)
There are still more benefits but these were just some of the major ones I could think of.
UPDATE: A note on recalls and infant deaths due to baby slings
I read about baby slings being linked to 3 U.S. deaths and the recall of some brands in the U.K. So I wanted to give a word of caution as well. In the U.S., it's advised that parents shouldn't put babies in slings below four months old. Let me just say that baby slings are not a new invention. They've been used for thousands of years by different cultures from all over the world. Read about the history of baby wearing and baby slings as well, to be sure. Of course, I would never recommend baby wearing or using baby slings if I knew it was dangerous.
I just want to emphasize that modern day use of baby slings doesn't mean that parents should check on their baby less. I think a lot of so-called accidents are due to parents not paying enough attention to babies. Even strollers aren't entirely safe. We've heard of million dollar recalls due to finger amputation. Once again, these "accidents" could have been avoided with a little more care and attention.
Lastly, let me just say that we used our sling since Badger was a newborn and we can only say good things about baby wearing and baby slings. To be on the safe side, follow these baby wearing tips from Medicine.Net:
- Keep your child's nose and chin visible at all times when using the baby sling
- Check on your baby often
- Make sure that the fabric of your baby sling is "breathable"
- When breastfeeding while using the sling, make sure to change positions
- Don't let the sling cover your baby's entire face
- Avoid keeping the baby too tight against the wearer of the sling or keeping the baby "scrunched up"
Have you benefited from a baby sling? Share your story below.
Image of Guatemalan baby in sling from Flickr.com/wmacphail.
